Education
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B.A., 1968,
Cornell University.
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J.D. (with
honors), 1972, University of Florida College of Law (Member of Law Review,
Book Awards for the highest grades in both Evidence and Corporate Taxation)
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LL.M. in
Taxation, 1978, University of Miami School of Law
Awards
Military Service
- U.S. Naval Reserve (1968-1974)
Courts
- All Florida State Courts, U.S. Supreme
Court, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Florida
Professional Activities
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The Florida
Bar, since 1972, (Member of Elder Law Section, Real Property, Probate and
Trust Law Section, and Tax Section)
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2010 - present
Chair, Tax Committee of The Florida Bar Elder Law Section
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2008-2009 Chair, Subcommittee on Federal Taxation of the Special Needs Trusts
Committee of The Florida Bar Elder Law Section
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2008-present
Member, Special Needs Trusts Committee of The Florida Bar Elder Law
Section; formerly member of the Abuse,
Neglect and Exploitation Committee, Medicaid Committee, and Estate
Planning Committee of The Elder Law Section.
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Member of
NAELA, The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys™, and member of the
NAELA Trust Special Interest Group.
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Member of
AFELA, The Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys
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Broward County
Bar Association (Member, Elder Law Section and Probate and Trust Law
Section)
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Member of Board
of Directors, West Broward
Estate Planning Council
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2005-2006,
Member, Florida Bar Special Committee on Website Advertising Rules.
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2001-2002,
Member of the Technology Task Force of The Florida Bar, a state-wide panel
of attorneys and judges organized to bring technology to The Florida Bar
and Florida Attorneys.
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2001-2002,
Chair, Website Design Subcommittee of the Technology Task Force of
the Florida Bar and as liaison to The Florida Bar Member Benefits
Committee
-
2000-2002,
served on the Member Benefits Committee of The Florida Bar, as a member of
its Subcommittee on Insurance and as Chair of its Subcommittee on
Technology
Interviews:
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WPLG-TV on
October 16, 2006: Mr. Cohen was interviewed regarding the risks of
elderly parents transferring property to their children.
-
WSRadio.com
on October 11, 2003: Mr. Cohen was interviewed on Jacqueline Marcell's Internet
radio program, "Coping with Caregiving" regarding Financial Exploitation of Seniors. Jacqueline is the author of “Elder
Rage, or Take My Father… Please! How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents”
www.ElderRage.com
The interview is available for 24/7 online
listening-on-demand, via a free download.
CLICK HERE (See Segment 3)
Speaking Engagements
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Presented
"Trusts for your Disabled Client" on November 5, 2009 at the Northern
Trust Attorney/CPA Round Table Lunch at the Coral Ridge Country Club,
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Presented
"Trusts for your Disabled Client" on October 16, 2009 at the
quadrennial Broward County Bench-Bar Convention.
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Presented
"Special Needs Trusts for Estate Planners" to the West Broward Estate Planning Council on
September 1, 2009 at the Weston Hills Country Club.
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Presented "Tax
Issues for the Elder Law Attorney" at the 2007, 2008,
and 2009 Elder Law Board Certification Review Courses; Mr. Cohen's
written materials were included in the 2010 course.
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Presented
"Irrevocable Trusts: A Planning Priority in a Post DRA Environment," a
live teleconference for the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys on
June 30, 2008.
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Presented a
Medicaid Update to the West Broward Estate Planning Council on May 6,
2008 at the Weston Hills Country Club.
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Presented
"What Estate Planning Attorneys and CPAs Need to Know About the Deficit
Reduction Act" at the Northern Trust Attorney/CPA Round Table Lunch on
May 1, 2008 at the Coral Ridge Country Club, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Presented the
topics "Ethics and Estate Planning," and "Planning Methods
to Control Medical Treatment"
at a program entitled Drafting Effective Wills and Trusts on April 19,
2007, sponsored by National Business Institute. The program
provided continuing education for Attorneys, Certified Public Accountants,
Guardians, Bankers, and Certified Financial Planners.
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Presented
"What Estate Planning Attorneys and CPAs Need to Know About the Deficit
Reduction Act" at the Northern Trust Attorney/CPA Round Table Lunch on
April 7, 2006 in Weston, Florida.
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2005 Broward
County Bench-Bar Convention presentations: "Special Needs Trusts- Avoiding
Malpractice for Personal Injury and Estate Planning Attorneys " and
"Medicaid II - Guiding Families Who May Need Government Assistance."
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Presented the
topics "Asset Protection for Seniors," " Long Term Care Facilities - Cost
of Care and Funding Sources," and "Insurance to Fund Long-Term Care Costs"
at a continuing legal education program entitled Elder Care in Florida: Legal and Financial Issues on
July 30, 2004 sponsored by National Business Institute.
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Spoke on on how seniors can protect themselves from the abusive marketing
of annuities and trusts to The Florida Club at Century Village, Pembroke
Pines on March 10, 2004 and to The Mainlands of Tamarac, Section 5 on
April 13, 2004.
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Presented
"Planning for Disability, including
Health Care Advance Directives" at a program entitled Fundamentals of
Estate Planning Law and Practice in Florida, on January 13, 2004, a
continuing legal education program sponsored by Sterling Education Services, LLC.
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On November 10,
2003 presented "Elder Law Practice - Doing Well by Doing Good" to law
students and faculty affiliated with the Health Law Society of Nova
Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center.
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In October
2001, Mr. Cohen presented a continuing legal education program entitled
"Bullet-Proof Your Retirement Plan - Tax Favored Asset Protection from
the Risk and Escalating Costs of Long Term Care to the B'nai B'rith
Justice Unit.
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In April 2001,
Mr. Cohen presented a continuing legal education course to the
Miami Beach Bar Association entitled "Long Term Care - The Risk
and Tax-Favored Solutions"
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Featured
speaker at SHINE program meetings. (SHINE stands for Serving Health
Insurance Needs of Elders, a volunteer program of The Florida Department
of Elder Affairs.)
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Featured
speaker at Century Village, Boca Raton, B'nai B'rith Unit on charitable
estate planning.
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Keynote speaker
at the B'nai B'rith Woodlands Unit Annual Installation on charitable
estate planning.
Community Service
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B'nai B'rith
International. Member, Board of Directors of the B'nai B'rith Justice Unit #5207 in Broward County.
Previously Mr. Cohen served for several years as Vice-President of
Communications for the unit, during which time he established the use of
e-mail communications, handled publicity, including press releases for
the unit, produced a newsletter , and built and maintained a
comprehensive website for the unit. While serving as
Vice-President of Programming in 2004, he arranged and moderated a
unique judicial candidates forum in an election where there were 19
contenders for 7 Broward County Circuit Court and County Court seats.
Selection of
Mr. Cohen's reported appellate cases
Horne v. Markham,
288 So.2d 196 (Fla. 1973). (Cohen successfully defended a
constitutional attack on the Florida Homestead Tax Exemption, both in the
trial court and in the Florida Supreme Court.)
Markham v.
Maccabee Investments, Inc., 343 So.2d 16 (Fla. 1977). (In Florida Supreme
Court, Cohen successfully reversed District Court of Appeal's grant of a property
tax exemption to a private for-profit business enterprise.)
Maniscalco v.
Hollywood Federal Savings and Loan, 397 So.2d 453 (Fla. 4th DCA
1981). (Cohen successfully overturned a lender's foreclosure and recovered a family
home after it was sold and title was issued to an investor after foreclosure proceedings. Lender's actions were
held to deprive homeowner of his equity of redemption in a manner
that violated homeowner's constitutional due process rights.)
If you have questions about anything on this
website, or if you wish to schedule an appointment, contact Mr. Cohen at
(954) 315-0355
or by
E-mail.
Mr. Cohen maintains two offices for the practice of
Estate Planning, Elder Law and Disability Law in Broward County, Florida
for the convenience of his clients:
Flamingo Falls Professional Center
1806 N. Flamingo Rd.
Suite 300
Pembroke Pines, FL 33028
and
Crossroads One
8201
Peters Rd., Suite 1000
Plantation (Fort Lauderdale),
FL 33324
For those of you who are unfamiliar with South Florida geography, Broward
County has 30 municipalities, including:
Coconut Creek,
Cooper City,
Coral Springs,
Dania Beach,
Davie,
Deerfield Beach,
Fort Lauderdale,
(Ft. Lauderdale),
Hallandale Beach,
Hillsboro Beach,
Hollywood,
Lauderhill,
Lauderdale Lakes,
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lazy Lake,
Lighthouse Point,
Margate,
Miramar,
North Lauderdale,
Oakland Park,
Parkland,
Pembroke Park,
Pembroke Pines,
Plantation,
Pompano Beach,
Sea Ranch Lakes,
Southwest Ranches,
Sunrise,
Tamarac,
Weston,
Wilton Manors.
For
information on these cities, click on the appropriate link.
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